What kind of fish should I put in my tank? This is highly based on your preference, but below I've outlined some of my favorite beginner fish and some of my NOT so favorite beginner fish, take a look. Please don't run out and get in over your head with something you can't take care of...i.e. NO oscars, puffers, clown loaches, or common plecos! I'm always happy to answer stocking questions via email at askmissfishy@gmail.com.
Danios: The best beginners fish of all! Seriously, I can't recommend these guys enough. They are amazingly hardy fish for the beginner just figuring out how to keep a fish tank afloat and a really interesting active fish for the advanced aquarist. I personally keep several, they're great! They come in tons of different colors, including blue, leopard print, albino, gold, zebra striped, pearl, and the newly coined "GloFish." All of these guys will school together and get to be about the same size. Please get a group of at least 3, they enjoy playing "tag" with eachother. They come in longfinned varieties as well as regular short fins. Avoid the giant danios.
White Clouds: These guys are another pretty, active, easy to care for fish. They come in a few different color varieties. They will also school with danios, mix and match a school of white clouds and danios for an active display.
Platy/Molly: These guys are a little tougher to care for than the danios. They come in even more colors and varieties. Be careful when you buy them to ONLY buy one sex. Otherwise you will soon be over run with baby fish. For example, one healthy pregnant female platy can have up to 50 babies at a time every month. So within 2 months, you could have 100 new fish to care for. Are you ready for that many aquariums? Didn't think so. ASK for all males or all females when you buy these guys and double check yourself. If a female drops some fry after bringing her home, just leave them in the main tank. The adults will make short work of them. I plan to add a new section on fry rearing in the near future if you wish to keep them.
Cherry Barbs: These guys are just plain fun and cute. The males are bright cherry red and the females have a neon orange stripe down their side, much like a neon tetra. These guys are pretty hardy, will eat algae off your tank, and very pretty to boot. Get a mix of males and females to maximize their colors, no problems with breeding here. There are several other good starter fish not listed...please research any fish you plan to purchase.
What NOT to buy:
Dyed Fish: This is the biggest fish no no I can stress. If the fish looks like it's an un-natural color, it's probably been dyed. Visit for more information on this. Basically, a fish is placed in an acid bath that removes its protective slime coating, then is pulled out of the water, placed on a cutting board, and injected with dye before being tossed back into the water. 80% of these fish die in the process. Even the ones that live usually die within a month or two from infection. The ones that actually live longer than that eventually lose the dye as it seeps out of their skin. Don't promote this practice by buying a dyed fish. If you aren't sure, don't buy it until you've done your research. The exception to this are the new "GloFish" (see my picture). When I first saw these guys, I figured they had to be dyed. Upon further research I found out about the controversy surrounding them. These fish are regular danios that have been injected with a gene while still in the egg. The resulting fish are neon pink in color. Better yet, they are completely normal in every other regard. They live normal lives and act like normal happy fish. Some people object to this gene manipulation, but as long as the fish aren't being killed, I see nothing wrong with it, but that's just me. I own one, just so I can marvel at modern technology.
Goldfish: Please don't go out and buy 10 feeder goldfish and throw them in a 10 gallon tank. Goldfish need 20 gallons for the first one and 10 gallons for each additional goldie. They are very messy and grow very quickly.
Oscars: Have you seen a fullsize oscar? They grow up to a foot or larger VERY quickly. Those cute little guys at the pet store don't stay cute for very long!
Fancy Guppy: I put these guys on this list because they are far more fragile than most people think. Modern day fancy guppies with pretty tails are sensitive to water conditions, and until those have stablized, stay away from these guys, they'll just die on you. The same breeding information goes for guppies as for platy/mollies, read above.
Common Pleco: No, you don't need a fish to clean up algae in your tank and you especially don't need one of these monsters. I personally have one that is 1 foot long and mean. These guys make more mess than they clean up and grow far too large for the small aquarium. Worry about algae when it appears...not before.
Chinese Algae Eaters: It really amazes me how many pet stores will try to sell you these things as algae eaters. First of all, you don't need an algae eater to begin with...but you especially don't need one of these guys. These barely eat any algae to begin with, and even worse, they will begin to attack your other fish, sometimes killing them to eat them. Gross, don't get one.
Neon/Cardinal Tetras: Yes they are pretty and blue. Yes they're cute. No, they aren't easy to care for. These guys have been so inbred today that modern neons in pet stores are very fragile fish. Many die within a day of adding them to your tank. Restrain yourself, at least until you have your tank stablized. I'm sure more will come to my mind later...but the above in my opinion are NOT suitable fish for a first fish tank.
